New skin concerns

Jordan is struggling with skin issues on her little arm again… This time it’s because she’s really focused on washing her hand and arm. Apparently they had a talk at school about how washing you hands will help keep germs away. So now Jordan is thoroughly washing her hand and arm each and every time she is in the bathroom. Her school’s soap and water are kind of harsh and now her little arm and even a small portion of her hand are super chapped.

I tried to help her with lotion last night and it hurt so much it took her ten minutes to calm down. This isn’t a rash like this fall, this is exactly what you might find on your lips or cheeks during cold, dry weather. I feel terrible for her because I’ve never seen her in so much pain over her arm before. She couldn’t even rest her arm on her side, she didn’t want anything touching it. It was tough to watch. Even mommy cuddles could help.

I put a note in with her doctor and I hope she might have a few ideas. In the meantime, I’m thinking about buying softer soap and getting Jordan into the habit of using lotion after she washes up.

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Hello ….Im sorry to hear Jordan is having skin issues again. Hopefully her doctor will have some suggestions for you. I might suggest that you ask the doctor about a perscription compound lotion that has a steroid in it. This worked very well for Carter for chapped skin. Also I might add that when you apply any type of lotion the less rubbing you do the better. I typically put a thick layer on because the more I rub the worse it hurts. I sure hope this resolves for you soon.

We get this too on her little hand. We put either some bag balm on it or we put some Watkins Petro Carbo first aid salve on it. I sell that if you want to try let me know and I will send you a trial sample.

We also got some really great lotion from Shriners that turns into a powder when it dries. But I really think one of those two salves would work…

May I suggest Vaseline. The plain stuff, not the baby scented kind, which can make it worse. I used it for chapped cheeks on my kids after several visits to a pedi derma for my middle child’s hemangioma. While not the same thing, I learned a lot from her in regards to skin care.

The chapping hurts because healing skin needs moisture to heal properly. The soap dries out the skin of it’s natural oils and Vaseline works as a barrier to allow the natural oils to replenish themselves. Lotions with scents can hurt healing skin more.

I wish you luck. I have severely dry hands in the winter, because I don’t like the feel of lotion. To combat it, I put Vaseline on my hands before bed and then put gloves on. I have also used socks to cover before, if I can’t find my spa gloves.

Wintertime is bad for him…poor guy. We use the cream daily with a thick layer on at night & sometimes a sock over his little arm. We also make sure we have a humidifier running during these dry, winter days.

Not quite the same, but I’ve had trouble with my knuckles cracking and bleeding in the winter since I was probably Jordan’s age… A couple of years ago I started using Eucerin Dry Skin Therapy plus intensive repair. It’s pricey but REALLY seems to help.

I’m an Esthetician in the skin care field and see lots of dry skin in the winter time. The trick is to prevent it by always moisturizing, at least 2 times a day and always after washing or bathing. Keep air moist, avoid having the heater on all the time.
For school use, I would buy her some wipes to use instead of using soap and water too much. Less water is best. To stay moist try using a jojoba oil on skin, its better than lotion and doesn’t hurt.
For now, if its ready bad, your dr might give you a steroid cream but that shouldn’t be over used, just until healed, long term use can thin out the skin. I would also cover her lil arm after using an oil or auqaphor at nite. Even olive oil is better than lotion and lasts longer at nite. Hope she heals fast

Jen,
Keenan cried last night too because his arm was chapped and what I used hurt him. So, I remembered what we used in the years past that helped so much. It is Lanolin cream for breastfeeding mothers. Seems what helps sore/cracked nipples also helps little chapped arms! It is made by a company called, “LANSINOH.” You can find it in a purple tube at Target. I put it on before bed and lay his arm on a little hand towel.

Well, I might as well throw my 2 cents in. You might also try Heeltastic. It’s made for dry, cracked, chapped feet, but I’ve decided it’s pretty much like chapstick for your feet. It doesn’t have any harsh chemicals in it, it smells pretty good and really works well. You can now find it at Walgreen’s (and possibly CVS). Lots of great ideas here!

P.S. They make those “moisturizing” socks. Maybe applying one of the helpful creams above and then putting one of these ultra soft moisturizing socks on at night would a.) keep her arm warm and b.) help in healing the chapped skin. Again, just another thought.